January Little Things

In January we continued our 7 a.m. morning mile. Some morning were a little chilly! 

Pink nose Lily

 We don't own very much in the way of winter clothing, so Zach ended up with a nice pink pair.

 Adam was warmer bundled up in a few blankets in the stroller.

Playing peek-a-boo!

I was saddened by the passing of my Grandpa Larsen. I wrote about some of my memories of him here.

Adam enjoying his new dump truck.

The kids and I went to a special "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" event at the FLMNH. The main activity was a scavenger hunt throughout the museum, where we identified imaginary creatures from the world of Harry Potter compared with similar real-world creatures. 

We spent a morning at one of our favorite parks, the new Depot Park.

 This little one likes to hide in cupboards...

 ...and in boxes!

 One Sunday morning the kids gathered up all of their stuffed animals for a party.

I love this drawing that Zach made in Primary of Joseph Smith's First Vision.

Playing with trains.

A sweet picture of our family that Lily drew.

Happy Birthday to Anwyn (with a Harry Potter party)

Anwyn turned 12 in December, but as is our tradition we celebrated her birthday in January.  She picked the dinner menu (the leftover Christmas Eve-Chinese menu we had in the freezer) and we enjoyed lemon bars for dessert.

Anwyn was excited to have a Harry Potter themed party with her friends. We did the same theme for Lily's birthday this past October, so planning and pulling together the party was a lot easier the second time around.

Our version of "Owl Post" to deliver the invitations.

A couple of crazy wizards in the family.

Everyone at the party was sorted into a Hogwarts house, so I made ties out of felt and badges in the appropriate colors. Jared and Anwyn made wands for each guest. Remember, "the wand chooses the wizard!"

Planning the menu was fun! We had Potter Popcorn and Deviled Dragon Eggs. I found a printable for the water bottles that added nicely to the theme--Elixer of Life, Veritaserum, etc. 

Ravenclaw Red Apples and Slytherin Snacks (cheeseball and crackers).

Gryffindor Vegetable Garden and Hufflepuff Cream Puffs. For dessert we had Butterbeer floats (just root beer ice cream floats).

After the house sorting we had a few Hogwarts themed classes/activities. Then after eating and presents, it was time to play Quidditch! Jared figured out how to make an awesome Quidditch set using PVC pipe and hula hoops.

The cutest little Quidditch player.

It was a really fun party!